over-scheduled - what does it mean?

[allatsea]

I've just seen the statement, 76% of children are over-scheduled, but what does it mean?

I have no idea what that's all about. Where did you see the statement and in what context was it?

I just saw it as a tag on the mumsnet homepage.

I think Sobernow is along the right lines - something to do with the fact that life is too organised, and that kids need some spare time to help stimulate their imagination, and to relax!

I've heard before that it's good to leave your kids to play by themselves sometimes - not to be there prompting them all the time - so that they think for themselves, and are more independant - plus of course you get a few moments peace & quiet

Or that instead of them having non-stop ballet/music/karate/kumon maths/playdates/gym/etc etc, you all spend a bit of time lying on the sofa eating chocolate biscuits and watching rubbish tv.I'm really looking forward to my ds being old enough to do that with me!

I'm sure that is what it means allatsea. It seems strange to me, the idea of all these small children having packed social calendars and huge commitments (like poor Graydon in The Nanny Diaries)! And poor frazzled (or silly) parents tearing around to get their various children to various appointments. Over-scheduled indeed! children?! 76% seems very high and suggests to me that these kids should indeed be lounging on the sofa, eating chocolate, talking to their parents and playing... wonder where the statistic came from?

ah, aloha, I see we are back in tune again!

I'm amazed at how much some children do. We bumped into old friends recently, and wanted to meet up again - but their kids (8 and 10, like mine) have 1-2 after school activities every day, plus 2 a day at weekends. The best they could offer us was meeting up on their way back from some lesson or other for half an hour. In conversation, it emerged that their two kids were unable to play together or to entertain themselves. I was left wondering how they could afford both the cost and the time to do it all.

My kids go to swimming lessons once a week and otherwise play play and play again, read, watch TV, argue, get bored, draw, play - and of course do the dreaded homework.

In the long run, I wonder how valuable it will have been to have done the dance/drama/canoeing/ horse-riding/trampolining etc. Looking back at my own (one at a time) experience of gym, ballet, horse-riding, I don't feel a better or more rounded person for having done them. Does anyone else?

aloha, you'll be impressed with my parenting skills then. Its nearly 2.30, time for the baby programmes to start on the discovery channel. Dd and I will be laying on the sofa for at least an hour eating jam tarts and watching crappy American baby shows.

I read/heard - can't remember which - that children need to be allowed to get bored so that they are forced to use their imaginations to entertain themselves. On a similar thread to Copper's message a relative of mine spends nearly every waking moment ferrying her two kids to after school activities/parties/weekend things and even misses out on family get togethers because of their ever busy social diaries!